ABSTRACT

Tourists’ changing expectations and behaviours push destination managers to launch new and different products in the tourism market. Cities must explore new ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors (Zetiu & Bertea 2015). In this context, destination branding has become an important way to get a competitive advantage over rival destinations (Crockett & Wood 1999). However, the question of how destinations may become distinct from their competitors remains on the agenda. Culture and cultural events are good tools to answer this question.